Bottled-water dispensers capable of dispensing cold water have been commercially available for many years. Typically, a bottled-water dispenser includes a cabinet having a reservoir to receive purified water. A bottle containing purified water is disposed on the top of the cabinet in an inverted position so that the neck of the bottle extends into the reservoir. The purified water flows under the force of gravity into the water reservoir.
Many bottled-water dispensers include a refrigerator system for cooling the water contained in the reservoir. The refrigerator system normally maintains the temperature of the water above the freezing point to provide cold water. In the past, bottled-water dispensers have not been provided with an ice maker for making ice from purified water. While many refrigerators include ice makers for making ice, the refrigerator units are usually connected to a source of tap water which is not purified. Thus, persons who drink purified bottled water must choose between drinking purified water without ice or using ice made from unpurified tap water.
In the past, it has been proposed to interconnect a pump between a bottled-water dispenser and an ice maker of a conventional refrigerator. Examples of such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,994 to Ofley, Sr., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,941 to Fao. However, these devices have limited utilities since it can be used only where a conventional refrigerator is available. Further, the cost of the pump for transferring water between the bottled-water dispenser and the refrigerator unit makes the cost of such systems prohibitive.
Accordingly, there is a need for a bottled-water dispenser having an ice maker for making ice from purified bottled water.